Page 31 of Bella and Her Beast
“I’m so sorry he did that to her,” Greyson chimes in.
She takes his hand in hers and squeezes it. “It’s not your fault, amor. See, what they didn’t know is that Isa was also a bruja.”
“Really?” I exclaim. This just gets better and better. “We come from a family of witches?”
Greyson darts his gaze to me and sits back, just as puzzled as I am.
Zelda laughs. “Chile, we all possess the powers. The necklace you wear is a protection amulet to ward off other covens that want to harm you. Anyway, Isa was very upset and hurt. She was betrayed by the one she thought loved her. She returned to her quarters and conjured up the curse that would ultimately affect both families. See, if you use magic for yourself, you curse your family. She called upon her powers that each male born of the Greyson family line be cursed to turn into a werewolf with each full moon and permanently if they don’t find true love by the time he turns twenty-five. That’s what happened that night to Maxim. He shifted right then and there since the spell was under the light of La Luna. He ran off and was never heard of again.”
“How was our family affected?” I cautiously ask.
“In her selfish act of using magic for personal reasons, she cursed each female in our family to never find love.”
“That’s crazy, Zelda. You found love, Gigi, my mom.”
“No. honey, we found companionship that seemed natural. You found love and are the key to breaking the curse.”
Greyson smiles when he looks at me.
I think back to the brief time we shared before the wolf out incident. “That’s not true. It can’t be. I’m not in love.”
“Bella, you have different feelings than you had with any other guy you’ve dated, or even slept with. I felt it in my heart when you called and told me all about the wolf attack at work. Sure, I told you to ignore it, but I knew then he found you, and the time had come.” She flips to the last page of the book. “Read this.” She turns the book to me and points to where she wants me to start.
“To balance the curse and set things right, the two fated mates must meet and fall in love before that ill-fated night.”
“Isabella, you are the one who can set this right. If not, there is no hope for us any longer.”
“Why us?” Greyson asks.
“You both are the fifth descendants of each line and in order to balance the universe the blood lines must come together. This is the first time we’ve had the opportunity. It is the only way, mi hijo.”
This day has gone from weird to downright nutso.
“So, let me get this straight, we’re witches, they’re werewolves, and he and I can make this all go away if we fall in love by his birthday?”
“Yes. So, I suggest you two get busy learning about each other. Oh, what am I saying, y’all already know each other.” She looks at us over her glasses with an all knowing smirk on her lips. “Take the book with you and learn all you want. And before you ask, no, we don’t practice magic any longer.” She places the key on the same chain as my necklace, which is glowing a bit.
“Thank you so much for this information Ms. Zelda,” Greyson stands, taking her hand into his and placing a kiss on the back.
She blushes and courtesy before him. “You will have a wonderful life with my baby. She’s feisty, just like her mother was when she was born. That fire never dies. Just give her some time to grasp all of this. Now, I gotta go watch my shows. Bella, lock up when y’all leave.”
“Yes, ma’am. Te amo, Zelda.”
“Te amo mi Bella.” She kisses me on the cheek and Greyson escorts her to the threshold of her room entrance.
I stare at this immaculate book in front of me. I never thought I’d ever come upon a book that would literally have me at a loss for words.
He walks up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulder and gently squeezing them. “You okay, Bella?” he sweetly asks.
I side-step his affection and move away, shoving my hands into the pockets of my shorts. “I don’t know how I feel. I’d rather go back to when none of this existed.”
“Problem with that is italwayshas. You just weren’t privy to it. You ever wonder why your mom or Gigi never told you about it?”
“You heard Zelda; we don’t love. So they wouldn’t know how to explain it to me without having had it for themselves. The best I always got was I hadn’t met…” I pause when I recall those conversations we would have over ice cream. It seems theywerepreparing me all along. Telling me he is out there; he just hasn’t found me yet.
“You hadn’t met who?” His eyebrow cocks on one side and those blue eyes that capture my heart reignites those feelings.
I glance back at the book, trailing my fingers over the intricate cover. “According to legend, I hadn’t met you.”
